Another Great Christmas & Happy 2010!

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We had a very eventful holiday! We did our annual “Four Christmases” again this year- starting out in Pittsburg to see Trey’s dad and step-mom. We had a great time visiting, getting spoiled with gifts, and eating (of course). Bebe and I also had our first attempt at making Paula Deen’s version of Cake Balls. They tasted good but weren’t very pretty due to my lack of experience. I definitely want to try baking those again!

We were here for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We went to the Christmas Eve service at our church with Chloe. This was her first “big church” experience and she did so good. She LOVED the music. We put her in the aisle when we were singing so she could see- I wish you all could have seen her moves! She was dancing and clapping and just SO happy to be there. She loves to sing, and was just mesmerized by all of the Christmas carols and microphones. I can’t wait for her to be big enough to join us in church all of the time.

We then spent some time with Trey’s mom, Scott, and Mimi. We were (once again) spoiled! Chloe was so happy to “finally” open those Dora packages she’d been eyeing for a while. After we put Chloe to bed Christmas Eve night, we were SO excited to sit down and open the envelope from the sonogram we had on Tuesday. Here are the reactions- Trey: jumping up immediately and doing fist pumps while saying YESSSSS over and over. It was similar to the Tom Cruise couch jumping scene on Oprah. Me: sitting in total SHOCK staring at the sonogram to see if it was really true- we are having a boy! I was just sure it was a girl. We are needless to say VERY excited about baby boy arriving in May. We have a list of names and are trying to narrow it down. We’ll see.

Christmas morning was so much fun with Chloe. She just loved her Dora backpack that sings and her Anywhere chair from Pottery Barn. She was saying “thank you, Santa Claus” over and over without being prompted. I know she will be ready for him to come again next year! After a yummy breakfast with Trey’s family, we headed to San Angelo unaware of what was to come. As we get through Fort Worth, we notice a sign that says “I20 is closed west of Weatherford due to icy conditions”- which is right where we were headed. I immediately put my iPhone to use and was looking at maps, calling family and DPS offices, and trying to figure out what to do. Sure enough, the further west we got, the more ice and stranded cars we saw. By the time we were 3 hours from Dallas we were going 10 miles an hour in heavy traffic. We were both terribly stressed out about what to do and finally made the decision to turn around and— yes—- GO HOME. So, we spent 6 hours in the car on Christmas only to return to an empty house with no food. All I could think about was a) that I wasn’t going to see my parents for the first time ever on Christmas b) what we were going to try and round up for dinner (pregnant, remember??) and c) that everyone else in the world was surrounded by family and food and we weren’t. After having multiple emotional breakdowns I came to the conclusion that this was all part of God’s plan (duh) and that we should make the best of it. We went to CVS (the only store open within 20 miles) and got eggs (for a “breakfast” dinner), coke, and ice cream because those things seemed to make us feel better. We made french toast and I fell asleep watching the rest of White Christmas. We left the next morning for SA and were there by lunchtime. So, after all that stress, it all worked out. We didn’t get to see my sisters and their families this Christmas but I guess that is just what starts happening when everyone has multiple families to visit.

We had a great time visiting with my parents. My mom always cooks our favorite foods which included her famous beef and potato and coconut and chocolate cream pies. I also got to spend some good conversation time with a few old friends and my fave cousin. It was great to catch up with everyone. Chloe got a slide for the backyard from my parents and she was in heaven. Our trip was shorter than planned, but it was well worth it to get to spend some time with my family.

We had a great New Year’s at the Thomas’- Richard even ventured out and grilled lobster (my favorite) which was a super fun treat. It was perfect ringing in the new year with some of our favorite people. BTW- did you see that girl from Alabama on the Carson Daly New Year’s Eve show? If you didn’t, you missed out on a huge laugh. It could be the next You Tube sensation, seriously.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday! Happy New Year from all 4 of us!